1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air conditioner for a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional air conditioner for a vehicle, noise generated when an air flow crosses an impeller and noise generated around a suction part and a discharge part of a cross flow fan (refer to JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) B 0132 No. 1017) is reduced by providing a flow straightening grid at the suction side of the cross flow fan (refer to, for example, Patent document 1).
[Patent document 1]
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 10-236130
By the way, depending on the type of a vehicle, there may be a case where an inside/outside air switching unit has to be arranged at a place offset with respect to the rotation axis of a blower, that is, the blower itself, on account of restrictions of the arrangement in the vehicle, and if the inside/outside air switching unit is arranged offset with respect to the blower, in many cases, the inside air flow has to, for example, make a U-turn so as to turn the direction of flow about 180 degrees in the inside/outside air switching unit.
If an air flow makes a U-turn in the inside/outside air switching unit, the air flow is disturbed and noise is likely to be generated as shown in FIG. 7.